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“You’re not,” he growled “It’s obvious Why would you i yourself—and the rest of us trying to save you—in er?”
It was a fair question, but she refused to back down “I’m not the same woman I once was”
Lucan clenched massive fists at his sides “Clearly”
He was trying to restrain his te theirShe bit her lip to hold in a bittersweet smile How much she missed his face and every one of those expressions she kneell If Bram refused to allow her to join the Dooain?
Despair spread a heavy pain through her chest It was unreasonable to assuet a century of happiness in edy and rape couldn’t obliterate love
“I have to go” Anka couldn’t bear to look at hiain and wonder if this would be the last time
But when she turned toward Bra her way Shock He wore black leather fro—or a fetish club A goatee fralasses covered his inscrutable eyes She kneithout question that he glared at Lucan
Her forht to the balls of his feet, clearly itching for any reason to punch Shock “Why are you here?”
It was a fair question, given the fact that Shock, the Dooent, had behaved like Mathais’s right hand more than once recently Shock made a natural second to the evil wizard, as the Denzells had long been Mathias supporters It was his role as an alleged informant and member of the Doo with hiiance lay She’d tried not to think about her lover helping her rapist tearmore and more difficult
The arch of Shock’s black brow popped above his dark-tinted glasses “You think I need your permission to be here?”
Lucan hesitated Anka hadn’t thought it possible, but his body grew ed Tynan away last week, took him to your boss, then du, you have the devil’s audacity to show your face”
“Could you read Tynan’s mind?”
No, but Shock could And everyone knew that, upon returning to o Mathias had murdered Auropha, the love of Tynan’s life Since then, the wizard had had a death wish Shock had done nothing rant it
The night of Tynan’s death, Shock sank farther than ever into a bottle Given the depth of his black mood, Anka was surprised to see that he’d crawled out at all
“You could have saved hirowled “And you didn’t”
“You think Tynan would have thanked me if I had?”
Shock crossed his arms over his chest and waited for Lucan to concede That was never going to happen These two together had always been like oil and water She’d cared for the her up inside
“I’” She spun away from the two men
“Where are you going?” Lucan deh her entire body, settling with a gentle ache right between her legs
Shock took hold of the other in an equally tight grip “Where have you been?”
They were both aggressive, de She knew better than to jerk away Either—or both—would do everything in his power to hold her until they got answers
“I’lared at them both
Lucan flinched, yanking his hand aith a curse Satisfied, Shock slowly unwound his fingers from her wrist Anka knew that if she turned her back on theue—with their wands and their fists Neitherat Lucan’swith energy, and wondering who he’d been taking to his bed to generate it was killing her If she stayed to ponder the question longer, she would only cry
A few days ago, she’d left Shock This was likely the first ti was eating at him, and he wouldn’t share it with her She wanted to help him God knew, she owed Shock But she couldn’t live with hiave her the protection and occasional energy she desperately needed, in every other way they were slowly killing one another
Anka turned toward the house again, this ti his sharp blue eyes In a glance, he took in the scene His tawny hairthe strands in a very uncharacteristic fashion He was so focused, he didn’t notice or care
“Shock?” The Doomsday Brethren’s leader stopped in front of the other wizard, his brow lifted as if to ask, Why the hell are you here?
Clearly, Shock wasn’t popular aain, he never had been No one trusted him Anka only did because he’d kept her terrible secret for so long—just as she’d kept his She’d always known that if one of theether
Sance, Shock pretended he didn’t see the other wizard’s impatient expression “Yes?”
“No bloody stupid games I hear you’ve come to seeMathias and Morganna le Fay’s antics That bitch especially has been so busy of late that everyone in England thinks the sky is going to fucking fall months before the Mayans supposed”
A chunk of the chip on Shock’s shoulder seemed to fall away His posture lost some starch “That’s exactly why I’ve coanna in her tomb, he planned to meld her power to his and—”